1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an electronic money apparatus using electronic money stored in an IC card for the settlement of purchase of a commodity or provision of a service, and more particularly to an electronic money apparatus specifying a use object of the electronic money to thereby limit the use departing from the use object.
2. Description of the Related Arts
In view of safety and convenience of the settlement in transactions such as buying and selling, attention is being given to an electronic money system utilizing as cashes electronic money in the form of electronic digital data stored in IC cards, the electronic money being settlement means in lieu of conventional bills and coins. In such an electronic money system using the IC cards, possessors of the IC cards use bank terminals to withdraw a required amount of money from their bank accounts to store it as the electronic money into the respective IC cards. For the settlement of purchase of a commodity, the IC card is set in a POS terminal to deduct the purchase amount from the electronic money balance. The IC card acts also as an electronic wallet. Hence, in case of a family by way of example, a necessary amount of electronic money can be transferred from an IC card possessed by a parent to another IC card possessed by a child so as to allow the child to use it in the same manner as the case of the cashes.
However, a mere use of the electronic money stored in the IC card for the settlement of purchase of a commodity or provision of a service will not offer so much a merit as compared with the case of use of the conventional cashes. Thus, no attractive system is provided to the consumers, making difficult a wider spread and utilization of the electronic money system. It is therefore strongly desired to create a novel and effective function of application and mode of application, which can be achieved only by the electronic money system.
According to the present invention there is provided an electronic money apparatus having a novel and useful mode of application capable of specifying a use object of electronic money stored in an IC card and of limiting a use other than the use object.
The electronic money apparatus of the present invention comprises an IC card for storing electronic money therein, an electronic money transfer processing unit and a POS system acting as an electronic money settlement processing unit. The IC card has a built-in integrated circuit including a processor and a memory, the memory storing therein a general electronic money balance having an unlimited use range, a specific electronic money balance having a limited use range, and available genre information defining a use range of the specific electronic money balance. The transfer processing unit transfers a specified amount of money from the general electronic money balance to the specific electronic money balance between two IC cards. The settlement processing unit compares genre information acquired from a purchased commodity or a provided service with the available genre information of the card. When a coincidence occurs, the settlement processing unit deducts the purchased amount of money from the specific electronic money balance of the card, whereas when a non-coincidence occurs, it prohibits the deduction from the specific electronic money balance. According to such an electronic money apparatus of the present invention, in case for example a parent transfers electronic money to a child""s IC card, it is possible to specify e.g., xe2x80x9cbooksxe2x80x9d as the available genre information to execute a transfer for adding a necessary amount of money to the specific electronic money balance. For this reason, even though the child has the IC card storing the electronic money, he or she can merely use the IC card for the settlement of a purchased commodity in conformity with the use object specified upon the transfer, thereby making it possible for the parent""s judgment to decide the use object, imposing a secure limitation on the use diverting from the use object. It is natural that the ability to limit the use object of the transferred electronic money is applicable not only to the parent and child but also widely to conjugal, cash management in a company, etc.
In this event, the available genre information (use limit information) stored in the IC card contains a use limit flag defining the presence or absence of a use limit, and specific genre information specifying a genre of which use is permitted. The use limit flag has a flag value 0 indicative of the absence of a limit or a flag value 1 indicative of the presence of a limit. The flag value indicative of the presence of a limit comprises a plurality of flag values 1, 2, 3, . . . set in accordance with different contents of limit. The specific genre information stored in the IC card contains at least one of an available store, an available counter, an available commodity genre and an available commodity. The IC card stores, in addition to the available genre information, transferor management information containing a card number and a code number of a transferor card. At every transfer from the general electronic money balance to the specific electronic money balance, the IC card registers the transferred specific electronic money balance and the available genre information. This allows a management of the electronic money on a transfer-to-transfer basis, enabling the electronic money to be transferred from a plurality of IC cards to a specific IC card with respective use objects.
The transfer processing unit further allows between two IC cards:
I. Return of a specified amount of money from a specific electronic money balance to another specific electronic money balance; and
II. Return of a specified amount of money from a specific electronic money balance to a general electronic money balance.
That is, upon a transfer of a specified amount of money from the general electronic money balance to the specific electronic money balance between two cards, the transfer processing unit registers a card number and a code number of a transferor card into transferor management information of a transferee card. If a returned card is coincident with the transferor card through a reference to the transferor management information, then the transfer processing unit returns the specified amount of money to the general electronic money balance without needing any permission in particular. This allows for example the electronic money transferred to the specific electronic money balance of the IC card possessed by the child from the parent to be returned to the IC card possessed by the parent if necessary. This return of the electronic money is a return to the transferor, so that there is no need for security such as a code number. On the contrary, if the returned card is not coincident with the transferor card, then the transfer processing unit returns the specified amount of money to the specific electronic money balance of another IC card through the acquisition of a permission for transfer based on the coincidence of collation of a code number of the transferor card with a code number of the transferor management information. In this event, a transfer is simultaneously made of the transferor management information which has been registered in a manner corresponding to the specific electronic money balance. Conveniently, this allows the specific electronic money balance to be transferred between two IC cards possessed by e.g., brothers, through the acquisition of a permission of the parent who is the possessor of the transferor card. Naturally, without any permission of the parent there is prohibited an arbitrary transfer of the specific electronic money balance between children""s IC cards.
The transfer processing unit is further able to return a specified amount of money within the same card from the specific electronic money balance to the general electronic money balance. More specifically, at every transfer of a specified amount of money between two the cards from general electronic money balance to the specific electronic money balance, the transfer processing unit registers a card number and a code number of a transferor card into transferor management information of a transferee card, so that through the acquisition of a permission for transfer based on a coincidence of collation of the code number of the transferor card with a code number of the transferor management information, the transfer processing unit can return the specified amount of money within the same card from the specific electronic money balance to the general electronic money balance. When the electronic money is returned within the same IC card from the specific electronic money balance to the general electronic money balance, the use limit to the transferred electronic money is canceled allowing a free use. Thus, such a transfer within the same IC card requires a permission of the possessor of the transferor card, e.g., the parent, preventing the child from arbitrarily canceling the use limit. Upon a transfer of a specified amount of money between two the cards from general electronic money balance to the specific electronic money balance, the transfer processing unit uses a fixed value as the code number registered in the transferor management information of the transferee card. In another mode, upon a transfer of a specified amount of money between two cards from the general electronic money balance to the specific electronic money balance, the transfer processing unit varies every time the code number registered in the transferor management information of the transferee card. By varying the code number in this manner, it is prevented that for example a child memorizes the parent""s code number to use it for a return from the specific electronic money balance to the general electronic money balance, thereby enhancing the security. The settlement processing unit has an item table in which are registered items, item codes and classification codes, and refers to the item table on the basis of a purchased commodity to recognize its classification code or item code, for a comparison with the available genre information of the card. The settlement processing unit may have a price look-up table in which are registered price look-up codes, prices and classification codes, and may refer to the price look-up table on the basis of a purchased commodity to recognize its classification code, for a comparison with the available genre information of the card. The settlement processing unit may have a genre management table in which are registered apparatus numbers at settlement sites, store codes and counter codes, and may refer to the genre management table on the basis of a purchased commodity to recognize its corresponding code, for a comparison with the available genre information of the card. Such a settlement processing unit is usually implemented as a function of the POS terminal of the POS system, so that if the use limit flag of the IC card is effective upon the purchase of a commodity, a deduction from the specific electronic money balance is permitted only for the purchased commodity in conformity with the use limit genre information specified, thereby realizing a use object limiting function possessed by the IC card.
According to the present invention there is provided an electronic money processing method having a novel and useful mode of application capable of specifying a use object of electronic money stored in an IC card and of limiting a use other than the use object. This electronic money processing method comprises:
a storage step for storing general electronic money balance having an unlimited use range, specific electronic money balance having a limited use range, and available genre information defining a use range of the specific money balance, into a carriable card incorporating an integrated circuit including a processor and a memory;
a transfer step for transferring a specified amount of money between two cards from the general electronic money balance to the specific electronic money balance; and
a settlement step for comparing genre information acquired from a purchased commodity with the available genre information of the card and, when a coincidence occurs, deducting a purchase amount of money from the specific electronic money balance of the card and, when a non-coincidence occurs, prohibiting a deduction from the specific electronic money balance.
The details of this electronic money processing method are basically the same as those of the electronic money apparatus.
According to the present invention there is provided a carriable IC card which incorporates an integrated circuit including a processor and a memory, the IC card being characterized in that the memory stores therein a general electronic money balance having an unlimited use range, a specific electronic money balance having a limited use range, and available genre information defining a use range of the specific electronic money balance. The available genre information of the IC card contains a use limit flag defining the presence or absence of a use limit, and specific genre information specifying a genre of which use is permitted. The use limit flag has a flag value indicative of the absence of a limit or a flag value indicative of the presence of a limit. The flag value indicative of the presence of a limit comprises a plurality of flag values set in accordance with different contents of limit. The specific genre information contains at least one of an available store, an available counter, an available commodity genre and an available commodity. The IC card stores, in addition to the available genre information, transferor management information containing a card number and a code number of a transferor card.
According to the present invention there is provided an electronic money transfer apparatus, which comprises a transfer processing unit for transferring a specified amount of money between two carriable cards from a general electronic money balance having an unlimited use range to a specific electronic money balance having a limited use range, the cards each incorporating an integrated circuit including a processor and a memory, the memory storing therein the general electronic money balance, the specific electronic money balance and available genre information defining a use range of the specific electronic money balance. Upon a transfer of a specified amount of money from the general electronic money balance to the specific electronic money balance between two cards, the transfer processing unit of the electronic money transfer apparatus registers a card number and a code number of a transferor card into transferor management information of a transferee card. If, upon a return of a specified amount of money from the specific electronic money balance between two the cards, a returned card is coincident with transferor card through a reference to the transferor management information, then the transfer processing unit returns the specified amount of money intactly to the general electronic money balance. If the returned card is not coincident with the transferor card, then the transfer processing unit returns the specified amount of money from the specific electronic money balance to the general electronic money balance through the acquisition of a permission for transfer based on the coincidence of collation of an input code number of the transferor card with a code number of the transferor management information. At every transfer of a specified amount of money between two cards from the general electronic money balance to the specific electronic money balance, the transfer processing unit of the electronic money transfer apparatus registers a card number and a code number of a transferor card into transferor management information of a transferee card. Afterward, through the acquisition of a permission for transfer based on a coincidence of collation of the code number of the transferor card with a code number of the transferor management information, the transfer processing unit returns the specified amount of money within the same card from the specific electronic money balance to the general electronic money balance. Upon a transfer of a specified amount of money between two cards from the general electronic money balance to the specific electronic money balance, the transfer processing unit of the electronic money transfer apparatus uses a fixed value as the code number registered in the transferor management information of the transferee card or alternatively varies every time the code number.
According to the present invention there is provided a computer readable storage medium on which is stored an electronic money processing program comprising a transfer processing module for transferring a specified amount of money between two carriable cards from a general electronic money balance having an unlimited use range to a specific electronic money balance having a limited use range, the cards each incorporating an integrated circuit including a processor and a memory, the cards each storing therein the general electronic money balance, the specific electronic money balance and available genre information defining a use range of the specific electronic money balance; and a settlement processing module for comparing genre information acquired from a purchased commodity with the available genre information of the card, the settlement processing unit when a coincidence occurs deducting the purchased amount of money from the specific electronic money balance of the card, the settlement processing unit when a non-coincidence occurs prohibiting the deduction from the specific electronic money balance.
According to the present invention there is provided another electronic money apparatus comprising a carriable card incorporating an integrated circuit including a processor and a memory, the memory storing therein a specific electronic money balance having a limited use range, and available genre information defining a use range of the specific electronic money balance; and a settlement processing unit for comparing genre information acquired from a purchased commodity or a provided service with the available genre information of the card, the settlement processing unit when a coincidence occurs deducting the purchased amount of money from the specific electronic money balance of the card, the settlement processing unit when a non-coincidence occurs prohibiting the deduction from the specific electronic money balance. This electronic money apparatus enables electronic money having a limited use object to be transferred from a bank account directly to a card.
According to the present invention there is provided another electronic money processing method comprising a storage step for storing specific electronic money balance having a limited use range and available genre information defining a use range of the specific money balance, into a carriable card incorporating an integrated circuit including a processor and a memory; and a settlement step for comparing genre information acquired from a purchased commodity with the available genre information of the card and, when a coincidence occurs, deducting a purchase amount of money from the specific electronic money balance of the card and, when a non-coincidence occurs, prohibiting a deduction from the specific electronic money balance.
According to the present invention there is further provided a carriable card incorporating an integrated circuit including a processor and a memory, the memory storing therein a specific electronic money balance having a limited use range.
The above and other objects, aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.